The #FreeKesha movement has been vocal and widespread on social
media, but it was a small yet passionate group of about 20 that
gathered outside Sony's headquarters in Midtown Manhattan on
Friday to protest in support of Kesha.

The artist is currently embroiled in a complicated legal battle
with her producer, Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald), who she
alleges sexually
abused her.

Earlier this month, Kesha
lost an injunction request that would have let her record
music outside of her contract. She is currently required to
release six additional albums under Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records,
a label owned by Sony.

"As women who want to hopefully have a profession in this
industry, I think it's absurd that a woman be treated this way,"
an 18-year-old protester named Devon Baran told Business Insider.
Baran is a student at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded
Music, who arrived at the protest with two friends.

"I think that it also says that if you are a man in this
industry and the more money you make, the more immune you are —
especially if you're a white man — and that's not okay. I want to
be in this industry and treated with respect," she
added.

Women are often afraid of coming forward after being
abused for fear that they won't be helped or believed, Muriel
Wandey, another student at NYU's Clive Davis Institute,
said.

"Especially when it's something that happens so much in the
industry," she said. "Women are shoved under the rug all the
time."

An attorney representing Sony told
the New York Times, "Sony is doing everything it can to
support the artist in these circumstances, but is legally unable
to terminate the contract to which it is not a party," referring
to Kesha's separate legal obligation to Dr. Luke's
company.

"I understand the legality, but at the same time, I don't
understand that as an institution, you can excuse an action like
that," Baran said of Sony's response. "Even if they say she can
work with a different producer, every penny she makes, he gets a
percentage of. They are supposed to protect her and look out for
her as an artist... As an institution with a lot of power, they
should use their power to say that's not right and they're going
to take action against it."

Lori and her
sign.Business Insider/Anjelica
Oswald

Lori, a protester who made a sign featuring lyrics from Kesha's
unreleased "Dancing with the Devil," which many fans
speculate is about Dr. Luke, said she's just trying to bring
more attention to Kesha's struggle.

"All we can really do right now is spread awareness and be
confident in ourselves that we're doing a really good thing for
her today."

Though she hoped for a larger gathering outisde Sony, Lori said
she's excited to see all the encouragement the "Tik Tok" pop star
is getting on the internet.

"I'd never used Twitter too much until now... and so many Kesha
fans have been so supportive," she said. "We all stick together
and at the end of the day, we want Kesha free. There are going to
be people who can't be here, but we're their voice today."

The protesters chanted "Free Kesha now" and "Drop Luke to free
Kesha" while marching with their signs.

Back in December, a
petition to free Kesha from
her Sony contract had a goal of
90,000 signatures. That benchmark has since increased to
210,000 and has, as of this writing, 201,956 signatures. Austin
Dean, the organizer behind the petition, organized Friday's
protest, as well as the one held in front of the courthouse the
day Kesha's injunction was denied.

Scores of fans and other artists, including Lady
Gaga, Adele,
Demi Lovato, and Taylor
Swift have shown their support for Kesha in their own
ways. Swift gave the fellow musician $250,000 for her legal
fight.

If Kesha remains unable to release music outside of her contract
with Sony and Dr. Luke, her lawyers argue, it could mean the
death of her career.

"At the end of the day, people can say it's
gray, but it's black and white," Baran weighed in on
the plight. "It's ridiculous that there's even a
conversation still going on. It's sickening."